It comes as no surprise that there is a rich, shared history between horology and automata. When Europeans discovered mechanisms driven by springs rather than by heavy weights, they immediately thought of two practical applications: keeping time and simulating life. The same coiled spring that could power a clock could also make a mechanical bird sing or move the hands of a lifelike human figure across a faux piano. The fusion of the two disciplines reached its zenith in the 18th century, with many watchmakers - most notably the Jaquet-Droz family and Abraham Louis Breguet - incorporating automata into their pieces as a showcase of their mechanical watchmaking mastery. The 19th century would largely spell the end of automata in watches, as the industrialization of the industry put the focus more on precision manufacturing and interchangeable parts than the World’s Fair-style oddities that automata had become. But watchmakers never truly let go of them, and the automaton wristwatch remains a pinnacle of horology as art. Houses like Vacheron Constantin, Jaquet-Droz, Van Cleef & Arpels, and now Patek Philippe continue producing these miniaturized marvels for the wrist.